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AP18:030

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2018
CONTACT:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Increases the Number Of Candidates In General Elections For State and Congressional Offices. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures yesterday.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

INCREASES THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES IN GENERAL ELECTIONS FOR STATE AND CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Increases the number of candidates that advance from a primary election to a general election, from the top two candidates to the top four candidates, regardless of party affiliation. Applies to congressional, state legislative, and most statewide offices. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Increased state and local elections costs potentially totaling in the millions of dollars for every two-year election cycle. (17-0053.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1849 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 17-0053.

The proponent of the measure, Richard Charles Ginnaty, must collect the signatures of 585,407 registered voters (eight percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than August 13, 2018. The proponent can be reached at (714) 771-1720 and ginnatycpa@gmail.com.

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